Bada Bing

Federal agents say mafia gangsters in Queens, N.Y., controlled a condo board at Greentree Condominiums in Ozone Park and used their muscle and influence to scam residents out of tens of thousands of dollars in phony fees, according to an article in the New York Daily News. One resident was hit with $9,000 in water and sewer fees along with $1,792 for the "collection" of water and sewer fees by the condo board, which has allegedly been linked to the Gambino crime family. Call it mob justice, but even John Gotti good luck charm and Gambino associate Kevin McMahon got skewered by the condo board. A tapped cell phone call was played in Federal Court last month where McMahon complained about Greentree's scheming. "Go stick the water bill under his f***ing neck," McMahon allegedly says. Guess he just couldn't fuhgettaboutit.

Smooth Move

On average, 39 million people pick up stakes and relocate every year. Don't count Edward Peterson among them-at least not yet. The Madison, Wis., area resident left his apartment March 1 for five hours only to find the entire unit cleared out upon his return. Apparently, the property manager was working unit turns and cleaned out the wrong apartment: The unit to be turned has the same number as Peterson's but was located in a different building. To make matters worse, the property manager followed policy and dumped all of Peterson's belongings into a dumpster, according to a report on MSNBC.com. By the time police arrived, someone had stolen Petersen's credit cards, CDs, DVDs, books, and $300 in cash. The rest of his stuff was left behind. A color television with remote was in the property manager's office, ostensibly for safekeeping. Peterson has been promised full compensation for his losses.

Funding Bloody Funding

The folks over at Luxury Property Blog report that the U2 tower, which first appeared in Q&Q last October isn't likely to see a beautiful day. The vertigo-inducing, 300-foot tower?which would have been Dublin's tallest building and was set to feature luxury apartments, a recording studio, and an affordable housing component?has now been delayed indefinitely. The Irish economy has not been immune to the negative impacts of over-exuberance in the housing market and reliance on over-leveraged debt and is digging out of a recession not unlike that shared by their American kin.

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